The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, is another museum on the Mall grounds owned by the Smithsonian, this museum holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1946 as the National Air Museum and they opened the main building in 1976. Of course we started at the Wright Brothers, Orville and Wilber. They were inventors and the pioneers of aviation. In 1903 the Wright brothers achieved the first powered, sustained and controlled airplane flight, two years later they built and flew the first fully practical airplane.
Pierre’s distant cousins are featured here in this museum..so of course we had to go see their exhibit!
Joseph Michel Montgolfier and his brother Jacques Etienne Montgolfier, built the first balloon in which humans flew for the first time. The historic ascent was made on November 21, 1783 in Paris. The ballon reached an altitude of about 2000 ft and during its 25 minute flight and traveled about 5 miles! Because of their accomplishment they were given a title, De Montgolfier..doesn’t look like much...but it was at the time!
After that it was a blur of planes, planes, more planes and space stuff! But it was awesome! We explored hundreds of the world’s most significant objects in aviation and space history. This museum has about 6.7 million visitors a year making it the fifth most visited museum in the world!
After a very late lunch we went to the National Gallery of Art!
They have A collection of paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, medals, and decorative arts that traces the development of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the present, including the only painting by Leonardo Da Vinci in the Americas
They also have quite a few from Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, known as Raphael, he was an Italian painter who’s work was admired for its clarity of form, ease of composition, and visual achievement of the Neoplatonic ideal of human grandeur! Along with Michelangelo and Leonardo they formed the trinity of great masters of that period.
Then it was on to the Sculpture Gardens!
By now time was running out on us, so we had to pack it up and head for the train station! Another great day!
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